IDF identifies 12 Gaza soccer players as Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday that several Palestinian soccer players, coaches, and referees who were reported internationally as civilian casualties during the war in Gaza were, according to Israeli intelligence, operatives in the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

The statement came in response to reports alleging that the IDF deliberately targeted Palestinian soccer players during the conflict.

The military rejected those allegations, saying the individuals in question were targeted because of their involvement in terrorist organizations rather than their sporting roles.

According to the IDF, intelligence assessments identified 12 members of Gaza's soccer community—including players, coaches, and a FIFA international assistant referee—as members of Hamas or PIJ who were killed during Israeli military operations.

The individuals named by the IDF are:

• Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Barakat – Soccer player; identified by the IDF as a PIJ operative who allegedly infiltrated Israel during the October 7 attack.
• Mahmoud Kamal Mohammad Ali Al-Rifi – Soccer player; identified as a company commander in Hamas' aerial unit.
• Mohammed Mansour – Soccer player and coach; identified as deputy commander of Hamas' Nuseirat Battalion and alleged participant in the October 7 attack.
• Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta – Soccer player; identified as a platoon commander in PIJ.
• Abdullah Riyadh Abdullah Khattab – Soccer player; identified as an operative in PIJ's anti-tank unit.
• Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab – FIFA international assistant referee; identified as a member of PIJ's Central Camps Brigade.
• Ali Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Kurd – Soccer player and coach; identified as a PIJ platoon commander in Rafah.
• Mohammad Emad Ata Hussouna – Soccer player; identified as a Hamas operative who allegedly entered Israeli territory during the October 7 attack.
• Tariq Ziad Hussein Al-Hour – Soccer player; identified as a Hamas operative.
• Mohammed Ziad Hussein Al-Hour – Soccer player; identified as a platoon commander in Hamas' Nuseirat Battalion.
• Mahmoud Osama Al-Jazzar – Soccer player; identified as a combat operative in PIJ.
• Mohammad Nidal Mohammed Al-Hawajri – Soccer player; identified as a Hamas combat commander in Nuseirat.

The IDF said many of the individuals had been portrayed internationally solely as athletes, with no reference to what it described as their affiliations with terrorist organizations.

In several cases, the military cited public recognition of the individuals following their deaths. It said Mohammed Barakat, one of Gaza's best-known soccer players, was commemorated internationally as an athlete, while Israeli intelligence identifies him as a PIJ operative who participated in the October 7 attack. Similarly, FIFA international assistant referee Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab received tributes from football organizations after his death, but the IDF says he was affiliated with PIJ's Central Camps Brigade.

The military also pointed to Ahmed Abu Al-Atta, saying that while he was widely reported as a professional soccer player following his death, PIJ later identified him as one of its platoon commanders.

"The false campaign portraying the IDF as deliberately targeting members of the soccer community is part of a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel," the IDF said in its statement.

According to the military, similar claims were made throughout the war regarding journalists, humanitarian workers, and other civilian professionals who, it says, were also members of terrorist organizations. The IDF said it would continue releasing information about such cases "to present the full facts and refute claims that do not reflect reality."

The IDF noted that some of the information released is based on open-source material combined with Israeli intelligence assessments. The military maintains that all 12 individuals identified in the statement were members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad at the time they were killed.